separated these two concepts from P. flava on the basis 
that the lip was about as wide as long, instead of being 
longer than wide, and the floral bracts were mostly shorter 
than the flowers. These two characters attributed to P. 
bidentata and P. scutellata are referable to typical HZ. 
flava. Inseparating P. seutellata from P. bidentata, Small 
intimates in his key and description that P. scutellata 
lacks basal lateral teeth. He says of P. scutellata: ‘*... 
bracts shorter than the flowers: ... lip suborbicular or 
broadly oval in outline, ... *” Nuttall clearly stated that 
the lip of his plant produced a ‘‘denture’’ on each side 
at the base. 
The flowers in a collection from McCreary Co., Ken- 
tucky (7.7. McFarland & H.J. Rogers 99) were found 
to have a lip which is essentially entire. Another collec- 
tion from Shannon Co., Missouri (77. J. Palmer 34828) 
was found to have flowers with rather large rhombic- 
ovate petals and a prominent lobule, instead of a tooth, 
on each side of the lip; the lobules being somewhat cre- 
nate and the tubercle on the face of the lip extremely 
elongated and conspicuous. These two specimens repre- 
sent extreme conditions of HZ. flava. 
Habenaria flava may be briefly described as follows: 
Plant 1.5—-6 dm. tall; stem slender, with two or occa- 
sionally three leaves below, long-bracted above, provided 
onthe lower part with one or more tubular sheaths ; leaves 
usually two, distant, oblong-elliptic to narrowly lanceo- 
late, subobtuse to acuminate and attenuate, sheathing 
the stem, 7-20 cm. long, 1.2-5 em. wide; raceme sub- 
scapose, usually short-bracted, laxly flowered, cylindrical, 
6-20 cm. long, 1.2-2 cm. in diameter; floral bracts nar- 
rowly lanceolate, acuminate, usually equalling or shorter 
than the flowers; sepals ovate-oblong to rhombic-ovate 
or suborbicular, subobtuse to rounded at the more or less 
crenulate apex, 2-5.5 mm. long, 1.5-2.5 mm. wide; 
[ 60 | 
